Alexander the Great (board game)

Alexander the Great is a board wargame first published by Guidon Games in 1971.[1] A revised edition of the game was published by Avalon Hill in 1974.

Alexander the Great
Avalon Hill reissue box cover
Years active1971 – 1972, 1974 –
GenresMilitary tactics, strategy
Players2
Setup time15 minutes
Playing time2 hours
Random chancelow

Gameplay

Alexander the Great is a two-player game that recreates the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC between the Macedonians and the forces of Persia. Players choose to portray either Alexander the Great or King Darius III. The game uses small cardboard counters and a hex-based movement system common to wargames of this era. Pieces represent infantry, cavalry, phalanx formations, various ranged weapons troops, chariots, and elephants. A unique feature of the game is a sliding morale track to determine which combat results table is used for combat resolution.

Publication history

Alexander the Great was designed by Gary Gygax in the days before he co-founded TSR, when he was working as a freelance game designer for Guidon Games. The game was published by Guidon in 1971, and was followed in 1972 by the supplement Alexander's Other Battles, which provided additional counters and maps for the battles of Granicus, Issus, and the Hydaspes.

The following year, when Guidon went out of business, Avalon Hill acquired the rights to the game, and Gygax worked with Donald Greenwood to revise a second edition of the game,[1] which was published by Avalon Hill in 1974.

Reception

In the inaugural issue of Phoenix, John Norris said this game has "the best army morale system I have ever seen in a board game, which reduces the effectiveness of troops as it declines in stages." However, Norris noted "Unfortunately the game does not allow one to recreate Alexander's battle plan at all, or the Persian one, for that matter. This is because of a series of flaws in design."[2]

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer made note of "the violent green mapboard, which some find exciting and other off-putting." Although he thought it was "Quite easy to learn," he warned that "Lack of terrain concentrates attention on tactical duels and morale levels."[3] In his 1980 sequel, The Best of Board Wargaming, Palmer added "The first player to give ground will find it quite hard to recover." He concluded by giving the game an "excitement" grade of only 50%, and a rules clarity grade of 70%, saying, "The game was one of the earliest to import miniatures concepts into board wargaming."[4]

Other reviews and commentary

References
  1. Sacco, Ciro Alessandro. "The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax". thekyngdoms.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  2. Norris, John (June–July 1976). "A Survey of Recent Ancient & Medieval Boardgames". Phoenix. No. 18. pp. 10–11.
  3. Palmer, Nicholas (1977). The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming. London: Sphere Books. p. 129.
  4. Palmer, Nicholas (1980). The Best of Board Wargaming. London: Sphere Books. pp. xxx.
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